cat with skin allergy

Question
Hi, I have a cat who was just diagnosed with some kind of skin allergy.  He is a 1 yr old male who I have had for 6 wks.  He previously lived as an outdoor cat (I have him inside all the time).  He was hand raised but the owner was unable to keep him cause she had too many cats.  He has developed an area on his chest that he is always licking to the point that it got infected and the fur in the area is gone.  The vet gave him an antibiotic and something to calm the itching.  Its better but he still licks it.  Where do I go from here to investigate this?  Should I just watch it to make sure it doesn't worsen or see some kind of specialist?  Is it likely to be environmental or something he is eating (should I switch foods?)  Hope you can give me some ideas.  Thank you

Answer
Hi Sue.  It sounds as though your cat has the skin allergy disease called Feline Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex.  If you do a search on the internet...dozens and dozens of websites come up about this disease.  I have a cat who has this as well, and I find that steroid injections (Depomedrol) help alot when he has a break out.  I also learned that Solid Gold brand cat food sold in pet stores is 100% natural and has no allergy causers in it.  This helps keep this in control.  The number one reason why cats have a flare up is because of a food allergy, so I highly recommend this one.  Here are a few websites that may help you...
http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/clerk/Starnes/
http://www.vetinfo4cats.com/ceosinophilic.html
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
I hope this has been helpful and if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
Give that little guy some kisses for me!
Hilary